Olympic great Marion Jones on coming out, taking control of her story & falling for her best friend
A post shared by SELF (@selfmagazine)There was a time when Marion Jones publicly coming out would’ve been the biggest story in sports, if not the entire country.
The first woman to win five medals in track and field during a single Olympic Games, Jones was a true American icon at the turn of the century.
But then she found herself at rock bottom, mired in the midst of a doping investigation and check-counterfeiting scheme. She served six months in prison for lying to investigators, and returned her Olympic medals.
For 49 days out of those six months, Jones was placed in solitary confinement. She’s compared the experience to waiting at the “next stop of hell.” Subscribe to our newsletter for a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.But years later, she’s been reborn.
